Saturday, December 25, 2010

Cold, hungry and left to die: The two puppies abandoned in the snow searching for a home for Christmas
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:58 PM on 24th December 2010
Comments (78) Add to My Stories Lost, starving and alone, these two innocent 12-week-old puppies were cruelly dumped by their owners and left to die in the freezing snow.
But the helpless pair - who have been named Brandy and Pudding - were fortunately scooped up and saved from the elements.
They will now be spending their first Christmas recovering at a dogs' home.
Brandy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was discovered very underweight and alone on a street in Reading, in Berkshire, while Pudding, a Boxer cross, was found with a distended stomach in snowy woodland.
Cold, hungry and left to die: Brandy and Pudding were cruelly dumped by their owners and left to fend for themselves in the freezing snow
The pair are now getting round-the-clock care from staff at the Dogs Trust, in Newbury, and will be available to be rehomed in the new year.
Manager Maureen Iggleden said staff were shocked at the way the puppies had been abandoned.
'We suspect Brandy and Pudding may have been bought as Christmas presents and dumped when their owners realised the work involved in looking after a puppy,' she said.
Dog carer Jess Ockwell with Brandy and Pudding. The pair will now be spending their first Christmas recovering at a dogs' home after they were scooped up and saved from the snow
'Our centre looks after hundreds of abandoned and unwanted dogs every year but it still shocks us to think that someone could so callously abandon a puppy, especially in these weather conditions.'
Dogs Trust chief executive Clarissa Baldwin, who coined the famous slogan 'A dog is for life not just for Christmas', added: 'Sadly there are still people out there who think pets are as disposable as Christmas wrapping paper.
'Our research this year revealed that one in five parents would still consider buying their child a dog for Christmas, even though most presents are discarded by their bored recipients after just four weeks.
'We're urging people to 'think life' before taking on a dog.'
To help discourage people from thoughtlessly buying dogs as Christmas presents, the charity's 17 rehoming centres have put a hold on rehoming dogs from December 19 to January 2 2011.
People are still able to visit the centres and reserve a dog but will not be able to take it home until the new year.
Anyone interested in rehoming Brandy or Pudding should contact Dogs Trust Newbury directly on 01488 658391 or visit the centre at Plumb's Farm, Hamstead Marshall.
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